Jeanne Jaffe is a 2024 Artist-in-Residence at Deering Estate. As a genuinely unique multidisciplinary artist, Jeanne Jaffe captivates audiences with her dynamic repertoire spanning installation, sculpture, drawings, and stop-motion animation. Her work, which delves into the intricacies of language, literature, psychology, and history, profoundly reflects on the construction of identity, the fabric of our world, and the scaffolding of our value systems.
Jaffe began her professional career studying archeology and anthropology, examining how people create and express meaning and values through objects, rituals, and behaviors. As Professor Emeritus of Fine Arts at the esteemed University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Jaffe’s influence extends far beyond the confines of her studio. Her five enriching years as a visiting artist at the Xian Academy of Fine Arts in China underscore her global impact and cross-cultural dialogue.
Jaffe’s exceptional artistic journey is marked by her innovative spirit and narrative prowess. She has garnered prestigious fellowship grants from the Gottlieb Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Independence Foundation, and the Leeway Foundation, among others. Her automatronic installation chronicling the life of Nicola Tesla, a testament to her technological approach to artmaking, earned her a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her creative journey has also led her to hold an artist residency in Mino, Japan. She was awarded an Innovative Artist Fellowship from the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and is currently an Artist-in-Residence at The Deering Estate. These accolades and recognitions have solidified her standing as a distinguished artist on the local and global stages, intriguing audiences with her unique perspective.
As a permanent resident of South Florida, Jaffe’s artistic journey continues to captivate audiences. Her solo exhibition at Spinello Projects in Miami, “Before I Wake,” is a testament to her enduring creativity and evolving vision. The exhibition showcases work that spans over three decades, inviting audiences to witness the evolution of her art and the depth of her creative exploration.
Much of Jaffe’s work creates a language that explores the realms of the unconscious and dream states, reconnecting people with their own interior experiences. Her work suggests new meanings created through metaphor, multiple associations, memory, and collective storytelling. Exploring how we form an identity, from the earliest pre-verbal stages of our lives through the introduction to language and cultural conditioning, motivates Jaffe to advocate for a deeper understanding of ourselves and others across cultures.
Jaffe’s artistic trajectory is celebrated and deeply revered with accolades from Art in America, The New York Times, and Sculpture Magazine. From LNS Gallery to the Coral Springs Art Museum, her work resonates with audiences across a spectrum of venues, inviting contemplation and dialogue. Her work inspires aspiring creatives and testifies to the boundless possibilities of the human imagination.
The Deering Estate Artist-in-Residence Program (AIR) supports artists who work in various disciplines and media.
The AIR Program offers professional visual, literary, performing, and cross-disciplinary artists the opportunity to pursue innovative projects and studio work, connect with other artists, and engage the public while interacting with the historical, architectural, intellectual, archeological, and natural elements of the Estate’s inspiring environment. Since 2006, we have welcomed over 90 shared and collaborative residencies representing a broad scope of contemporary and traditional artistic practices. For more information on the Artist in Residence Program at the Deering Estate, please visit the website.
About the Deering Estate
Deering Estate, located at 16701 SW 72 Ave. in Miami, is a 21st Century house museum, cultural and ecological field station, and a national landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, owned by the State of Florida and managed by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department. Deering Estate is designated as one of seven Miami-Dade County “Heritage Parks” which have a vital role in our community’s history, environment and in providing recreational and cultural experiences.
Cultural Arts Programming at the Deering Estate is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, and The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc.
About the Deering Estate Foundation
For those who treasure the Deering Estate, who advocate for its preservation and wish to invest in its future, The Deering Estate Foundation provides opportunities for individuals and corporations alike to partake in membership, signature events, and one-of-a-kind experiences, all in service of providing vital funding and support to the Deering Estate. Through these efforts, the foundation fulfills its mission to uphold the legacy of Charles Deering’s cherished 1920s-era property, to provide funding for the cultural, educational and recreational experiences it offers, as well as its significant scientific and archaeological endeavors to conserve its diverse flora, fauna and the eight native ecosystems that thrive on its 450 acres, and to ensure its longevity as a prized American heritage site. Established in 1989, The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc. is a community-based charitable 501(c) 3 Florida Corporation and the philanthropic partner of the Deering Estate.
